Demons of the Caribbean
by Dragonflyr
Summary: The town was quiet and peaceful until the fateful arival of a certain three-eyed pirate who braught the threat of doom on their heads. Now, can a group of unlikely heros ban together to defeat this evil, or will they all rot in Davy Jones's Locker?
1. Ship on the Horizon

I am such a bad girl. I can't believe I'm starting **ANOTHER** story when I have so many going already! But I have an excuse, sort of. This story has Jin and I don't have any stories with Jin, and I need a story with Jin! Touya will make an appearance too and...I haven't decided who else. Besides that, I need a story that's light on the romance for a while. And besides besides, I need to write an alternate universe story that doesn't include any OC's, even though I love OC's. I swear I haven't forsaken my other stories and I will get back to them soon, but this story has been swimming in my mind since I got the soundtrack to "Pirates of the Caribbean," which rocks and also happens to be my favorite movie of all time. Music inspires me a lot, so that's why I'm writing this. This doesn't really follow the "Pirates" story line, because we all know that story and it would just make it boring, but there will be plenty of high-seas adventure, so don't get all excited if this isn't the same as the movie, but it should still be pretty good.

I don't own YYH or Pirates of the Caribbean, so don't sue me because I actually remembered to say it this time!

Okay, having said that, listen up because I'm about to explain pretty much all the background you'll need to know to understand this story. First off, humans and demons live in the same world, and that world is largely dominated by ocean, so of course there are pirates. Pirates are usually considered the bad guys, but not all pirates are bad. Although it is a law that if someone is discovered to be a pirate, they are thrown in jail and then hanged. And yes, the YYH guys will still have all their cool powers and all, but there will still be some swashbuckling pirate-style sword action in there too. 'Kay so, have I confused you yet? Well, in any case, I hope you all enjoy what's coming because it promises to be a really jaw-dropping, edge-of-your-seat, cliff hangers galore thriller. And if that isn't enough to convince you, then...(here comes my catch phrase)...ON WITH THE FIC!

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**Y**usuke sat on the beach, the salty ocean air blowing through his dark hair. He was sure to get it when he got back. He had left Kuwabara to do all the work at the blacksmith's shop where he and the orange haired youth were apprentices to the fat, lazy blacksmith. He could already hear Kuwabara's voice in his head, giving him the same speech he always gave when Yusuke skipped.

_"What the hell Urameshi,"_ he would say, _"You took this stupid job to learn swordsmanship, but how do you expect to ever learn anything if you're never here! Besides, do you really think Lady Keiko will ever take you seriously if you live out the rest of your life as a worthless slacker?"_ At this point he would usually lunge at Yusuke to try and 'knock some sense into him,' only to be knocked senseless himself.

Yusuke sighed as the image of Lady Keiko floated into his mind. She was royalty, the princess, **way** out of his league. And yet, no matter what he did, he hadn't been able to keep his mind off her since they had first met, as children.

"What the hell Urameshi!" he heard a voice call out behind him. Yusuke laughed and shook his head, standing up and brushing the sand from his clothes. He turned around to face his friend, knowing full well what was coming.

"What is wrong with you!" Kuwabara continued. "You took the stupid job at the blacksmith's to learn swordsmanship, but how do you expect to ever learn anything if you're never there! Besides," now Kuwabara paused and gave Yusuke a sly smile, "do you really think Lady Keiko will ever take you seriously if you live out the rest of your life as a worthless slacker?"

"Well, at least you changed some stuff this time. I was getting tired of the same speech over and over again," Yusuke answered, absently cleaning his ear with the pinkie of one hand.

"_Baka_! Take it seriously, damn it!" With that, Kuwabara brought his arm around in a fast right hook, but Yusuke easily ducked and dodged. With a smile, he took his own hand from his ear and swung upward, connecting with Kuwabara's nose. Kuwabara was thrown backwards, a stream of blood sprouting from his now quite possibly broken nose.

"Ha! You'll have to do better then that, Kuwa_baka_!" Yusuke cried triumphantly as Kuwabara slowly rose.

"Bas'ard!" Kuwabara swore, his speech nasally and muffled due to his nose which he tenderly touched the side of, wincing immediately. "'ou b'oke it!"

"Nah, I would have felt it snap if it was broken," Yusuke assured him. Kuwabara glared at him, but didn't say anything, still testing to see if his tender nose was indeed still in one piece. Yusuke had turned his back and was about to walk away when he heard Kuwabara suddenly give a cry of surprise.

"'ey!" Kuwabara exclaimed, his words still strangely pronounced as his nose began to swell. "Ishn't tha' a pi'ate flag?"

"Where?" Yusuke asked, spinning on his heal to face his friend, who was gazing into the ocean before them.

"There," Kuwabara said, pointing, "On tha' s'ip."

"Sip?" Yusuke teased, knowing exactly what his friend meant. "What in the hell is a sip?"

"No! S'ip! _S'ip!_" Kuwabara cried angrily, trying unsuccessfully to pronounce the word correctly.

"Alright, alright. Don't have a heart attack. I know what you mean," Yusuke soothed between fits of laughter. Now he turned and stared out at the ocean. There was indeed a ship on the very edge of the horizon.

"Damn that's far away. How the hell can you see the flag on that?" Yusuke asked, turning to Kuwabara. Kuwabara only shrugged, not wanted to be teased for the way he was talking again.

"Come on, let's get a better look!" Yusuke said, taking off down the beach.

"'ey! Wai' fo' me!" Kuwabara cried after him, kicking into a run as well. Yusuke turned sharply and found himself back on the main streets of the town. He ducked and dodged his way through the crowds, heading for the castle. Kuwabara was some distance behind him, yelling at him to slow down, but Yusuke paid no attention. He cleared the last of the houses and began to bound up the steps to the castle, which sat on a cliff above the town. There was a kind of observation platform along the castle's outer walls, placed there for military strategy since it gave anyone looking from it a clear view of the sea on all sides of the small island the town thrived on. This was where Yusuke was heading.

Once up the steps, he raced to the very edge of the stone railing, leaning dangerously over the side and squinting at the now slightly larger ship in the distance. Kuwabara came huffing and cursing behind him not long after.

"D--damn it Ura--mes'i," Kuwabara croaked, his nose now nearly three times its original size as well as bright red and slowly oozing a constant drip of blood down Kuwabara's face.

"Hey, Kuwabara," Yusuke said after a moment of carefully studying the ship.

"Wha'?" Kuwabara asked, having given up on pronouncing T's and R's altogether since the sharp sounds they made had proven to send painful jolts through his battered nose.

"Does that ship look _lower_ in the water then it was before?" Yusuke asked. Kuwabara walked forward to stand beside Yusuke and squinted into the distance.

"'ey, yeah. I' does. Ish it sin'ing?" Kuwabara answered.

"I don't thing ships can commit sins," Yusuke snickered.

"Shu' up!" Kuwabara screamed, but Yusuke only continued to laugh.

**(xxx)**

**D**own on the dock, two guards waited anxiously, watching the slowly sinking ship come closer. Both of them were onis, armed with bayonets and rifles, not that that made them feel very safe considering the ship might hold a demon much stronger then what rifles could stop. The ship was close enough now that they could indeed see the tattered flag, and they could also see the skull and crossbones upon it. One thing was strange about this particular pirate's flag, however. The skull had an extra eye in the center of the forehead, sending a chill down the onis' spines.

"Um...maybe you should...er...get backup," the red one said nervously to the blue one. The blue one, Jorge, nodded and took off for the castle. Everyone gave him wide birth as he bounded throughout the town, this being a mostly human community, and he was soon racing up the stone steps to the castle doors. At the top of the steps, he caught sight of two boys staring down at the alien ship below. One had dark hair and had his head thrown back in a deep laughing fit. The other, an orange haired boy who looked as if he had broken his nose, was yelling something intelligible at the other boy. Normally, Jorge would have stopped and asked them what they were doing, but now he had no time.

He ran trough the arch leading to the courtyard and passed two more oni guards at the door, who paid him no attention. Now he was in the castle itself and climbing a set of spiraling stairs. Finally reaching the top of the stairs, he flung the door open and half-stumbled half-ran into the King's chambers.

"L--lord Koen--ma!" Jorge cried, gasping for breath.

"Yes, what is it?" Koenma asked, sounding irritated. Jorge looked up to see his ruler, a mere teenage boy with brown hair and large eyes and who had never quite grown out of the habit of sucking on a pacifier. He wasn't alone in the room either. His most trusted maid, Botan, who acted more like a soldier and a spy then a maid, was there as well with her elegant violet eyes and mysteriously blue hair. The commander of Koenma's army was there too, General Kurama Minamino. He was a superb military leader who was known throughout the seas as having the most unusual and unstoppable strategies the Seven Seas had ever witnessed and always keeping a cool head no matter what was going on around him. With his long, fiery red hair pulled back in a pony tail and his bright, intelligent emerald eyes he was an imposing figure indeed.

"A ship!" Jorge gasped, finally regaining his breath. "A ship with a pirate flag!"

"Humans or demons? Do you know how many there are?" Koenma asked urgently, quickly crossing to the window and gazing out at the ship, which was now 100 yards from the dock and only barely above the water anymore.

"I don't know," Jorge answered sheepishly.

"What do you mean you don't know! You come here to warn me and you don't even know what you're warning me against!" Koenma shrieked, snapping around and advancing on Jorge as the oni winced and backed up against his lord's desk.

"Lord Koenma," Kurama interrupted, stepping between the young ruler and the frightened guard. "Do not worry. I will deal with this ship personally." Before Koenma could answer, Kurama swiftly strode towards the door, giving Jorge a glance that clearly said 'follow me,' a command that the blue oni was only too happy to comply with.

**(xxx)**

**K**urama stood patiently at the edge of the dock with ten or so armed onis behind him. There was almost nothing left of the ship above water anymore as it slowly drifted towards them. He had to wonder at the flag though. Pirate flag's were known to vary from ship to ship, but he had never heard of a third eye being added before. What could it mean?

As he stood there wondering, the ship drifted within arm's reach. Leaning forward slightly and being careful to keep his balance, he gripped the railing of the ships deck and swung himself over, landing with a splash in knee-deep water. He sloshed a few steps forward, the water level growing higher with each passing moment. He was about to declare the ship deserted and all its crew drowned, when he heard a creak above him.

Looking up, he could just barely see the shadow of a figure clinging to the rigging of the ship, concealed by the pitch black sails. The figure seemed to sense it had been caught and released it's hold on the ropes, landing with a splash before the surprised general.

Kurama blinked the water from his eyes to find himself staring at a short man who didn't even come to his shoulder, dressed all in black, with his sword drawn and ready to fight. He had black hair that looked like it usually stood straight up, but now drooped with the weight of the water from the his splash landing. But it was his eyes that really drew Kurama's attention, he had never seen a creature with such deep, blood red eyes.

"Who are you?" Kurama asked, trying to be peaceful and not fight this man just yet. Despite his spine-chilling glare, Kurama could tell that the man before him hadn't slept or had anything to eat or drink in a while.

"Who wants to know?" the man replied, narrowing his crimson eyes.

"General Kurama Minamino, commander of the armed forces of this town. I'll ask you again who you are and if you don't answer, I'll have to assume you're a pirate and arrest you," Kurama answered, watching the dark figure before him carefully.

"Hn, then you'll have to arrest me anyway," the man snorted. "If you really must know, I am Captain Hiei Jaganshi."

"Well Hiei, a captain isn't much of a captain without a crew, now is he?" Kurama answered coolly, making note of the fact that the water level was now up to his waist, and halfway up the short pirate's chest.

"My crew was nothing but a sorry group of fools, they deserved to die," Hiei spat.

"So you killed them?" Kurama asked, slowly raising a hand to scratch behind one ear.

"I only wish I had. That would go against the Pirate's Code," Hiei answered, wearily watching Kurama's hand.

"We'll, I must say I've enjoyed this little chat," Kurama said as he lowered his hand, something small and brown clutched between his fingers. "It's not often I come across an intelligent pirate." With that, he gave the seed in his hand a flick in Hiei's direction. In a blink of an eye, it became a long-stemmed flower that looked like a dart. Hiei, suffering from exhaustion, dehydration, and starvation did not have the strength to dodge and so tumbled back into the water with the flower-dart in his neck. He wondered vaguely, as his world was slowly swallowed by darkness, why this red headed general reminded him of the terror of the Seas, Youko Kurama.


	2. Captain Hiei's Tale

I am so happy! We got to watch the first part of "Pirates of the Caribbean" in school the other day! **I LOVE THAT MOVIE!!!** Sorry it's kind of short. It's really more of an explanatory chappy. The next chapter will kick of the real story line. Anyway...ON WITH THE FIC!!!  
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**T**he room slowly came into focus as Hiei blinked his eyes. He sat up slowly, trying to remember what had happened. Looking around, he found himself in a cell, and the memories of the past few days came flooding back. Cursing himself for being so weak, he stood and cursed himself again for the shaking legs that barley held beneath him.

"You probably shouldn't be standing just yet," a somewhat familiar voice said from the demon pirate's left. Turning, Hiei saw the green eyed, red headed general who had captured him sitting comfortably on a chair, watching him from the other side of the bars.

"Hn," was Hiei's only response as he forced himself to remain standing, trying unsuccessfully to stop the shaking in his legs.

"You should at least eat something," Kurama said, noting the small pirate's stubbornness. Now Hiei noticed an appetizing smell in the air and turned to find a table loaded down with meat and bread as well as fruit and soup. He walked slowly to it, as though he had no interest in it, and picked up a bun. He took small bites of it, as if he wasn't really hungry but only eating to please Kurama, all the while never taking his crimson eyes off the watchful general.

Kurama sighed and shook his head, seeing that the captain before him would never give in to his hunger and eat properly while he was watching, and decided to continue his interrogation.

"What happened to your crew?" Kurama asked.

"They were killed," Hiei answered simply, taking another bite of his bun.

"Yes, but how were they killed?" Kurama asked, slightly annoyed. He had all the time in the world to play whatever games the pirate wished, but he feared his captive might pass out again if he didn't start to eat more then the small bun in his hand, and Kurama knew the chances of Hiei doing that with him watching were slim.

"They were killed by pirates," Hiei replied, finishing his bun and picking up an apple.

"Who specifically?" Kurama asked again as Hiei took a loud, juicy bite of the apple.

"You know them," Hiei said, as if the answer was absurdly obvious.

"I do?" Kurama cocked an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly, trying to think of the various names of the pirates he knew of.

"You should, they're quite famous," Hiei said absently, his mouth full of apple as he reached one hand for a turkey leg. Apparently, despite his best efforts, hunger was beginning to get the better of him.

"You can't give me a hint?" Kurama asked after a moment, smiling slightly at the captive captain.

Hiei was too concerned with eating to keep up their game now. He abandoned his riddles and teasing, sat down at the table, and simply said "It was the Dark Fleet." Surprised, Kurama allowed a gasp to escape his lips.

_'The Dark Fleet? Can he be telling the truth?' _Kurama wondered as he stared at Hiei, who ignored the red head and continued eating. The Dark Fleet was a well known group of pirates. Their group consisted of three ships: _The Dark Beasts_, _The Dark Brothers,_ and _The Dark Angel_. The whole fleet was under the control of General Sakyo, a pirate who was known for his treasure, his cunning, and his ruthlessness to get anything he wanted. No one, not even other pirates, dared to stand up to the Dark Fleet, the very mention of the name struck fear in the hearts of all, pirate or not.

"Are you certain it was the Dark Fleet?" Kurama asked.

Hiei nodded, swallowing a mouthful of bread. "I swear on the Pirate's Code it was them."

Kurama was silent for a moment, but then a thought popped into his mind and he asked, "How did you come across the Dark Fleet?" Hiei stared at him for a full minute before pushing back his plate and sighing.

"We had news that the fleet was going to pillage a town in the northern shores and were sailing to intercept them," he said, not emotion in his voice whatsoever.

"What was your motive for that?" Kurama asked. He had never heard of anyone purposely 'picking a fight' with the Dark Fleet before.

"What business is it of yours?" Hiei asked sharply, glaring at Kurama with renewed vigor, his strength restored form having eaten.

"I simply wish to know your motives," Kurama answered.

"Hn," Hiei snorted in response, grabbing a second apple from the table.

"Was it for revenge?" Kurama asked after a moment of silence, broken only by the sounds of Hiei eating his apple.

"I said before, it is not your business," Hiei mumbled, not even bothering to swallow before talking. "Besides," Hiei added as he took another bite, "who would I have to avenge?"

"You mean to say there is no one you care for enough to avenge?" Kurama asked, somewhat amazed. Hiei gave him a fleeting glance with his crimson eyes that clearly answered 'Yes.'

"What a lonely existence that must be," Kurama said simply, allowing a tinge of pity to seep into his words. Hiei only gave him a warning glare.

"Only the weak and the stupid allow themselves to care for anyone other then themselves. The Pirate's Code itself states that any man who falls behind, is left behind," Hiei answered, throwing the core of his finished apple aside.

"On the contrary," Kurama replied, the face of an older, gentle woman who he had come to know and love as family flashing through his mind, "one's feeling towards others may often aid them in battle, elevating their need to win and allowing them a clean victory."

"Hn," was Hiei's doubtful reply. Kurama sighed and let the subject drop. There was silence for several minutes, but as Kurama's thoughts drifted back to the Dark Fleet, he had a horrible realization.

"Hiei," he said, some urgency in his voice.

"That's _Captain_ Hiei," the pirate replied, taking a third apple from the table.

"Fine, _Captain _Hiei. Your men, did they take any treasure form the Dark Fleet?" Kurama asked, holding his breath for the answer. If they had, and that treasure was now at the bottom of the town's harbor with Hiei's boat, there was no doubt in Kurama's mind that Sakyo would come to retrieve it. Hiei was silent as he thought, obviously unaware or else not caring that the Dark Fleet may be drawing closer as they spoke.

"I believe there was a chest at the stern of my boat," Hiei said slowly, closing his eyes as he tried to remember. "Yes," he said more confidently after a moment. "I remember the stern sank first because of the extra weight."

"And that chest was still on your ship when it sank in our harbor?" Kurama asked.

Hiei nodded and bit into his apple. Kurama's eyes widened and he stared for a moment in shock. Then he turned and sprinted up the stairs, praying that this new information wasn't too late to make a difference.


	3. The Dog Holds the Key

Alright, well, Microsoft Word has decided it hates me, so I'm gonna give WordPerfect a shot. Hopefully it'll all work out. Anyway, I feel really good about this story and I'm glad to finally find some time to get back to it. Seriously, I haven't had this much ease in creating a story since 'Prisoners.' For example, many of you may have noticed that most of my stories usually get to about chapter 7 and bottom out after that. I have great faith that such an incident will most definitely not occur with this story! I just can't wait to get going and really sink my teeth into this one! I'm really counting on this story to be a smash-hit and restore me to my former 'Prisoners' glory!

Oh! And did I mention that I got the special three-disc 'Pirates of the Caribbean' DVD for x-mas?! As well as the Inuyasha movie and two YYH DVD's! I am officially the happiest girl in the world at this moment! So now it's my turn to make you happy! ON WITH THE FIC!

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**K**urama sprinted down the hall, completely abandoning his usual demeanor in a flurry of worry and fear. With none of his normal grace, he threw opened the doors to Koenma's office, skidding to a halt in front of the young ruler's desk. Koenma looked up in surprise, shocked to see his usually calm and cool-headed general so uncharacteristically shaken up.

"Kurama? What is it?" Koenma asked nervously, fear dripping from his voice despite his best efforts to hide it.

"Hiei's ship!" Kurama exclaimed. He didn't actually shout, but his voice held more urgency then a scream could ever convey. "We must drag the harbor for Hiei's ship!"

"Hiei?' Koenma asked, "you mean that pirate you arrested earlier? Captain Jaganshi?"

"Yes," Kurama concurred with a quick nod. "It is imperative that we remove his ship from our harbor immediately!"

"Why? What's wrong?" Koenma asked, standing up in concern. Kurama stood silently for a moment, collecting his thoughts and wondering what would be the shortest way to tell his lord the story. And more importantly, how to begin.

"Hiei's crew," he finally began in a slow, quite tone, "was killed by the Dark Fleet–" Koenma gasped, his face draining of all color as he flopped back into his chair, "–but Hiei got away in his damaged boat. Unfortunately, he brought a chest of General Sakyo's gold back with him."

"**_General Sakyo?!_**" Koenma nearly screamed, jumping to his feat once more. Kurama nodded and Koenma laid a shaky hand on his desk to steady himself. "And...and that chest is on that pirate, Jaganshi's ship...at the bottom of our harbor?" Kurama only nodded again. Koenma collapsed into his chair for a final time, paler then ever.

"Do you think..." Koenma began, but found himself unwilling to even consider the end of that sentence. Still, as much as he feared the answer, he knew it was something he had to ask in order to take adequate precautions against the situation. Taking a deep, shaky breath, he forced himself to continue. "Do you think _they_ know where the chest is?"

"I'm afraid so," Kurama answered. "Sakyo places homing devices on all of his property. He doesn't take being stolen from lightly." Koenma sighed. Here was another question he didn't particularly want to hear the answer to. "Do you have any idea how long we have before..." Koenma trailed off, his mouth going dry at the very thought of what Sakyo would do when he arrived. Most of the island's inhabitants were humans...no one would be able to defend themselves.

"That is why we must retrieve the chest now," Kurama prompted. "If Sakyo arrives before we can get hold of the chest, he will think we are withholding his property from him. Our best chance at a peaceful encounter is to return his chest to him as soon as he lands."

Koenma nodded, some of the color returning to his face as he deemed the crisis under control. He stood up, straitening his attire as he strolled to the window. He should have known that Kurama was more then capable of handling this.

"Alright," Koenma said, feeling his heartbeat begin to calm as his confidence in solving the problem quickly grew. "Drag the harbor for the ship and get that chest. In the mean time...all of _Captain_ Jaganshi's meals are to be withheld." Kurama's eyes widened and he took a step froward.

"Lord Koenma–"

"Don't argue," Koenma interrupted. "My father is already going to be _furious_ when he hears about this mess. But he'll have my head if he finds out that I did nothing to punish the one responsible. Besides," Koenma continued with a sigh, "he _is_ a pirate after all and scheduled to be hanged soon."

"Pirate or not, he was half dead with starvation this morning. If you refuse to give him food, he will die long before the hanging. Is not the death he is already facing more then enough punishment for whatever crimes he has committed? Is it truly necessary to drag that death out anymore then you have to?" Kurama wasn't sure why he was fighting so desperately for this pirate. He had never shown this kind of mercy to any other pirate he had ever met. Indeed, had Hiei been anyone else, Kurama would have most certainly agreed wholeheartedly with Koenma's sentence.

Koenma shook his head. "I'm afraid my hands are tied. If I don't do this now, Father will kill Jaganshi himself as soon as the gets word of this, not to even mention what he'll do to me... Now you'd best get that chest out of the harbor." For a long moment there was no answer from the red head and Koenma turned, concerned. "Kurama?"

Kurama stood completely still, his fiery bangs concealing his eyes. Without another word he bowed respectfully to his lord and left the room.

**(xxx)**

**H**iei seethed silently in his cell, burning a hole into the cell wall with his blood red gaze. Just a few minutes ago, a group of guards had come and relieved him of all his food. He wasn't about to openly admit how hungry he was...but Gods he was starved! Despite the amount of food he had eaten after waking up, it hadn't been nearly enough to make up for the meals he had missed over the last week.

He laid back on the bed as a loud growl form his semi-empty stomach filled the room. He gritted his teeth at such a sign of weakness, but knew that there was nothing he could do about it. His stomach continued to gnaw loudly and painfully at him as a familiar wave of dizziness made his head swim. He _had_ to get out of here soon!

"Here boy! Here doggy! See what a big, juicy bone Uncle Jacky has for you! Come on boy! Come to Uncle Jacky!" a voice came from the next cell, accompanied by a flood of whistles. Hiei sighed. There was only one other pirate in the dungeons and Hiei would have killed him long ago if he had his sword...and the strength to get up. The guards, none of them wanting to stay and watch the prisoners, had given the keys to a very stubborn dog that liked to sit just out of reach, ring of keys dangling freely from its mouth. Hiei's neighbor, who was a green-skinned demon and was apparently called Jack, had been trying to coax the dog over to him with a bone he had found in his cell ever since that General Minamino had left. He had only stopped once, when the guards had come to take Hiei's food.

"Come on, there's a good boy. We'll trade. Just give Uncle Jacky the keys and Jacky will give you the bone. Sound fair? Come on boy!"

Hiei gave a sigh that was half a growl and forced himself up, hissing in annoyance when his legs threatened to give out the moment he stood, black dots swimming before his eyes. Somehow, me made it to the bars and, leaning heavily against them, looked to his right. He could see 'Uncle Jacky' pressed against the bars of his cell, hand outstretched before him holding a thigh bone that looked human.

"That stupid dog is _not_ going to move," Hiei said in a low but fierce tone, his words slow and powerful. "No matter what you do, it's just going to sit there and stare at you, so will you please just accept that and **_shut up?!_**"

"Gees mate, what's your problem?" Uncle Jacky inquired, turning to match Hiei's glare. In moments, however, the glare melted into a careless grin. "Ah, you're probably right matey, but there's no harm in trying, is there?"

Despite Hiei's low energy level, he could feel the Jagan on his forehead burning with power. _No harm?!_ Well of course there wasn't any harm, aside from the fact that Hiei was about two 'Here boy's away from torching the whole damned dungeon, Uncle Jacky, dog, and all.

"Come on boy! Here boy!" Uncle Jacky turned his attention back to the dog, and that was it for Hiei. The white headband burst into flame and burned out of existence revealing a very wide and very pissed off-looking purple tinted eye. Uncle Jacky, feeling the wave of energy, side glanced at Hiei before letting out a yelp of fright and jumping back from the bars.

"N-now calm down there matey! I'll stop, I swear! Just relax!" Uncle Jacky cried in terror as he backed against the wall furthest from Hiei, never taking his eyes off the glowing Jagan. Hiei was far past the point of rational thinking. He knew that squandering his power would only make his inevitable death come faster, but this insolent demon had tested his temper and Hiei was in no mood to be tested! However, it seems that fate was on Uncle Jacky's side. Just as Hiei was about to unleash his wrath on the frightened and helpless demon who had tried his patience, something brought him back to reality, probably the only thing that could have done so. An all too familiar energy signature.

Breathing heavily and forcing himself to calm down, Hiei turned towards the cell's one tiny, bared window. He walked slowly towards it, catching the sound of faint, hurried footsteps as Uncle Jacky scampered into the back of his cell where Hiei wouldn't be able to see him, diving under the bed for cover no doubt.

As he arrived at the window, Hiei's vision swam as the adrenaline from his previous temper tantrum began to wear off. He stubbornly fought it off and forced himself to focus on the horizon. Finding his crimson eyes unwilling to cooperate, he closed them in favor of using his third eye instead.

The vision he received from the Jagan was high in the air, from a bird's vantage point, and tinted with green. He searched forward, out over the sea. He continued until he could see the ships, forcing himself to go even further to get a good closeup view. There were three ships in all, arranged in a 'V' with the largest one in front. The flag billowing from each of the ships was the same and unmistakable. A demon's horned scull that seemed to grin madly from the fabric. Also, where most pirate flag's were black, this unique symbol of unparalleled power had a backdrop that was such a deep red that it was the very essence of blood.

"So," Hiei mused to himself as he took a spare stip of cloth from his pocket and resealed his Jagan, "They have arrived. I wonder how long these fools will last."


	4. Confrontation

So, did everyone enjoy the last chappy? I don't know about all you out there in Readerland, but the dog with the keys has always been one of my favorite parts! Yep...gotta love the dog...Anyway, I have decided to focus solely on this story for a while, so hopefully there will be more updates more often, depending on whether or not my teachers actually decided to be nice this upcoming semester.

Oh, and Happy New Year! I had a...productive 2004, if nothing else. Nah, I'm kidding. Gees, that makes me sound like I have no life whatsoever! 2004 was fun. I made new friends, read new books, saw new movies, and just had one hell of a good time! And as soon as school starts up again and we get all my peers together in the same room again we can officially kick off Bitchfest 2005! Won't that be fun?

In any case, I wish you all a Happy New Year and a truly wonderful 2005! And just to make sure we start it off right, I'll give you the juiciest chapter yet! Yup, that's right, plenty of chaos, close encounters, humor, and we finally get to meet the Dark Fleet up close and personal! So once again, Happy New Year and...ON WITH THE FIC!

**(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)**

**K**urama watched the approaching ships, no emotion showing on his face. Three onis were trying desperately to hull up Hiei's ship from the harbor, but Kurama had given up hope of them succeeding in time. It seemed they would have no choice but to fight.

**(xxx)**

**Y**usuke grumbled to himself as he hit the red hot tip of the newly forged sword. Kuwabara was crafting his own new masterpiece in the opposite corner of the room. And where is the blacksmith who is the master of these two you might ask. Well, it just so happens that he was currently...indisposed, which is to say that he had drunken himself unconscious and was now slumped on a stool buy the fire pit.

"Remind me again exactly how I'm planning to learn swordsmanship from this fat old drunk," Yusuke muttered as he straitened, wiping the sweat from his glistening forehead on his sleeve

"Jush wo'k, Urames'i," Kuwabara answered, his nose still red and swollen and hindering his speech as much as ever.

"I'm done," Yusuke fired back, hanging his finished sword on the wall where a place had already been made for it.

"Well, then help me!" Kuwabara called as his friend started for the door, pausing to marvel that he had actually said a normal sounding sentence.

"Forget it," Yusuke smirked, opening the door.

"Urames'i!" Kuwabara yelled in the most threatening voice he could manage with his wounded nose. Yusuke, still ignoring his friend, stepped out into the street, only to jump back almost immediately as two armed onis nearly ran him over.

"What the–?" Yusuke stumbled backwards, Kuwabara ceasing his work to come up behind him.

"Wha's going on?" the taller teen asked, watching the onis disappear down the street over his friend's shoulder. He shivered suddenly. "I have a bad feeling abou' this."

"Yeah, me too," Yusuke muttered, kicking into a run after the onis, Kuwabara close behind. It was early evening and the streets were nearly empty, giving the two teens a clear view of the harbor.

"What the heck is going on!" Yusuke wondered out loud as they both stopped in shock. Neither of them had ever seen anything like the scene now playing out in front of them. Every guard on the island was assembled at the docks, headed by General Minamino who stood tall and eerily calm. They all stood watching three massive ships, bigger then anything Yusuke or Kuwabara had ever seen, came steadily closer.

"Pi'a'es?" Kuwabara asked.

"No, they would never use that many guards on ordinary pirates," Yusuke breathed, for once too amazed to make fun of Kuwabara's challenged speech.

"We should go back..." Kuwabara urged. He had always had a kind of sixth sense, and he was definitely picking up serious vibes from those ships. Alarms were sounding in his head. _Danger! Danger! Get out of here! Go back! **Danger!**_

"No way," came Yusuke's stubborn response as he darted forward, ducking behind one of the massive bushes that guarded the steps leading down to the dock.

"Urames'i..." Kuwabara half-wined, reluctantly joining his friend behind a neighboring bush. "I'm se'ious, we 'eally should go back!" Kuwabara tried desperately to talk some sense into his friend. "Those ships...the feelings coming f'om them...i's making me sick...We shouldn' be he'e..."

"I feel it too..." Yusuke gulped, staring out at the ships, eye's fixed on their blood red flags. "But don't you get it? That's why we have to stay."

"Wha' do you mean?" Kuwabara asked, staring at Yusuke intently now.

"Oh come on! You and I both know that those idiots don't stand a chance!" Yusuke cried in disgust, gesturing to the onis who stood, rifles raising and quivering in fear. "Minamino is the only thing that's kept us safe here. He's the only decent protection we've got. But..." Yusuke sighed heavily, "...those guys on that ship...they feel too powerful even for Minamino to handle."

Kuwabara stared for a moment before saying in an incredulous whisper, "Bu' if Minamino doesn' s'and a chance, wha' hope do _we_ have?"

Yusuke smiled, the kind of knowing smile someone plasters on their face when they know their going to their death, and are completely at ease with it. "We'll probably be killed before either of us even lands a punch," he said with a laugh.

"Tha's no' funny!" Kuwabara cried, but stopped when Yusuke turned his gaze on him.

"Like I said, we'll probably die in the first thirty seconds of the fight," he repeated, still smiling.

"And why does tha' make you smile?" Kuwabara asked, slightly uneasily with Yusuke's attitude towards the situation.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm going down fighting. I thought that was your thing anyway," Yusuke added, watching his friend critically, "You know, dying an _honorable_ death in battle and all." Kuwabara's eyes widened at those words, and a smile spread over his face as well.

"Hell yeah! No one threa'ens my home 'own withou' answe'ing to the Grea' Kazuma Kuwaba'a!" Kuwabara declared a little to loudly, standing and striking what me must have thought was a heroic pose. A few onis looked back and Yusuke hurriedly grabbed his friend and pulled him back down.

"Baka! Be quiet!" Yusuke scolded, then he laughed and shook his head. "You can't even say your own name..."

"Only because _you_ punched me!" Kuwabara shot back. Yusuke sobered suddenly, staring at Kuwabara seriously.

"I...I'm sorry about that, man," Yusuke muttered, staring at the ground. That's what brought reality home for Kuwabara. _'We really** are** going to die fighting like this, aren't we?'_ the thought swam through his head like a hungry shark. Yusuke had completely accepted that fact, Kuwabara could see that now. He never would have apologized if he didn't really believe...

"Get ready. Here they come," Yusuke's voice brought Kuwabara back to reality. He looked up to find that the ships had stopped. The leading, and biggest ship was now drawing parallel with the dock. They watched as someone, probably the captain, walked to the side of the ship no doubt to talk to General Minamino, who was calmly walking down the wooden planking towards the ship. Kuwabara prayed that, whatever negotiations they made, that they would end peacefully.

**(xxx)**

**H**iei was watching the docks from his tiny cell window. Every few minutes he was forced to blink repeatedly to clear his vision of the black dots that we slowly dominating everything else. On top of that, his legs were shaking so much he had to grip the window bars until his knuckles were white just to remain standing.

He growled as he shook his head, cursing the dots, and cursing himself for having used so much energy before that using his Jagan now was simply out of the question. When his vision was finally dot-free once more, he turned his attention back to the window. The ships had landed now, the two smaller ones slightly back from the beach with the third drawn up at the dock. He scoffed as he saw the red headed general approach the ship.

"I don't know what you did to yourself or how you did it," Hiei whispered to himself, " but even you are in over your head this time, Captain _Youko Kurama_."

**(xxx)**

**K**urama walked slowly towards the ship. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that talking would do no good. Hey didn't have the chest and so they had nothing to negotiate. Nevertheless, it was his duty as general of the armed forces of his island, his duty to his 'home,' to try.

"I must warn you," Sakyo called as Kurama approached, "I'm more interested in getting what I want then discussing it. Talk is cheap, you see." Sakyo was tall and pale with long black hair that cascaded down his back and a long, thin scar bisecting one eye.

"General Sakyo, I presume," Kurama greeted, his emerald eyes scanning all three ships. He could definitely feel the presence of others aboard the ships, but as far as he could tell Sakyo was the only one on deck of any of them.

"And whom is it that I have the pleasure of speaking with?" Sakyo asked, lighting a cigarette.

"General Kurama Minamino," Kurama introduced himself with a stiff bow that was waved off by Sakyo.

"Please, you are dealing with _pirates. _There is no need for such formality," Sakyo smiled down at him, taking a puff and blowing smoke high into the air above him.

"Now, let's make this as painless as possible, or rather as painless as I can allow it to be," Sakyo continued. "The chest." It was a simple demand, one Kurama wished desperately he could comply with.

"We don't have it," he answered simply, deciding it was better to get the truth out in the opened instead of beating around the bush in hopes of buying time Sakyo would probably never give anyway.

"Oh really?" Sakyo asked calmly, blowing another puff of smoke, this one down in Kurama's direction. "And who does?"

Kurama fought the urge to cough as his sensitive nose was flooded with nothing but the foul stench of Sakyo's cigarette. "No one does," he managed to choke out.

"What exactly do you mean?" Sakyo asked, his voice was still calm but had a hint of danger behind it. Kurama side stepped out of the stagnate air that had been polluted by Sakyo's smoke and cleared his throat, taking in a breath of sea air to clear his nose, and his mind.

"It's at the bottom of the harbor," Kurama said, explaining how it had been on Hiei's ship, which had sunken soon after the demon pirate's arrival.

"Well, that is a problem then, isn't it?" Sakyo mused, still smiling in an almost drunken fashion. "Quite unfortunate actually, I was hoping we could clear this up without incident."

"General Sakyo, please–"

"I'm sorry but I have no choice," Sakyo interrupted, stubbing out his cigarette on the wood of the ship's railing. "I've wasted time coming here to get my money because I want it back. And now it seems that I must waste even more time hunting for it myself. Well that simply will not do. My time is precious and I'm afraid I must demand retribution for having it toyed with so carelessly."

Sakyo raised one hand and snapped his fingers once. Immediately, Kurama was aware of the other energies he had sensed. Looking around he could see the decks now filled with demons. Most were lower class, nothing special, just ship hands. But Kurama could feel a few on each ship who had exceptional strength. The ship to the left of Sakyo's carried four strong energy signatures, while the ship to the right also had four, though these were much stronger then those of the first ship. And Sakyo's ship itself held _seven_ strong energy signatures, one of which he had a hunch was being masked to repress the owner's true power. All those energies at once, bombarding his sense sent shivers down his spine and he had to fight to keep his composure.

"I am dreadfully sorry about this," Sakyo said, taking another cigarette from his pocket, "If I could give you just one piece of advice...run."

"Never," Kurama growled back, removing a rose as red as the ships's flags from his hair.

Sakyo only shrugged and lit his cigarette, the lighter's soft _click_ ringing through the air. "Suit yourself, it's your funeral."

**(xxx)**

**S**omehow, Hiei managed to push himself back from the window and stumble to the bars at the front of his cell. Now was his chance, he had to get out, **_NOW!_** If they were leaving their ships, he might be able to sneak on... There was no doubt in his mind that whether or not he succeeded, this last ditch effort would claim his life. But he also feared that he wouldn't get another chance, and that fear drove him to continue.

Gripping the bars tightly in his hands, he forced almost all of his remaining energy into them, superheating them until they were all glowing a fierce red. Uncle Jacky watched fearfully from the safety of the small space under his cot. With one swift kick, the door flew off it's hinges and feel smoking against the wall. The dog, who had been asleep on the floor, yelped in surprise and scampered away, dropping the keys in it's fright.

Hiei stumbled from the cell, finding it now nearly impossible to walk. He tried to force his way to the stairs, but found himself incapable of going more then two steps without stopping to lean heavily against the wall. He growled at his own weakness.

Just as he reached the steps and was about to start the treacherous decent, he glanced back and saw that the dog had dropped the keys just withing Uncle Jacky's reach. With a small smirk, he kicked the ring of keys just beyond what the green demon's outstretched fingers could reach, then started down the stairs.

**(xxx)**

**K**oenma had barricaded himself in his office, placing heavy spells and wards against the door. No one was getting in unless _he _wanted them to. He stared out the window at the docks, rubbing his hands together endlessly in impatient worry. What was going on? Why had all those demons suddenly appeared on the decks of the ships? Were they going to attack? One thought, however, took precedence in his mind: _'Where is Keiko?'_

Lady Keiko was not the young ruler's true daughter. Indeed, she was barely ten years younger then him. He had found her, abandoned as at the age of three, shortly after he had taken the thrown on this island. They had been as close as father and daughter ever since. He didn't know where she was in all of this chaos and it was driving him crazy. He had sent Botan to find her some time ago, but he feared that even if the blue haired maid did find her, they wouldn't be able to make it back before all hell broke loose.

"Keiko...Botan...wherever you are, please be safe."

**(xxx)**

**A** strange look had come into Yusuke's eyes and it was scaring Kuwabara, almost as much as the demon's who had seemingly appeared out of thin air on all three ships were scaring him. He'd never seen so manly demons in one place in all his life. Yusuke had been right. They were going to die.

"This is it," Yusuke breathed, never taking his eyes off the ships laden with demons before them.

"I was af'aid you we'e gonna say something like tha'..." Kuwabara sighed. Despite all his talk of 'honorable deaths' and 'going down fighting,' he really wasn't ready to die.

**(xxx)**

"**D**on't take this personally," Sakyo said, the sickly smile still plastered on his face. "I only want what's mine." Sakyo raised his arm for a second time and snapped once.


End file.
